A cold beer usually leaves an anonymous wet ring on the table. Heineken has turned it into a logo.
The brand’s StarMark glass features a molded, five-pointed base that collects condensation along its edges. When someone lifts the glass, it leaves behind the outline of Heineken’s iconic star.
There is no ink, projection or additional technology involved. The branding appears naturally through the interaction between a cold glass and the surface beneath it.
It is a tiny detail, but an unusually smart one.
Every sip can create another brand impression. Every table becomes temporary media. Even after the glass moves, Heineken leaves its mark behind.
The Star Is The Structure
The original brief given to Dutch industrial design studio npk was wonderfully direct: design a glass that everyone who sees it will want to take home.
Working with Heineken and Design Bridge and Partners, npk decided against simply printing another logo onto an ordinary pint glass.
Instead, the designers made the star part of the object itself.
The shape begins at the base and rises through the glass in five pronounced vertical facets. Look down from above and the structure resembles Heineken’s five-pointed symbol. Hold it from the side and the same geometry gives the glass its distinctive silhouette.
The result is recognizable even before the familiar red star and Heineken wordmark are applied.
An Apparently Simple Shape Was Difficult To Make
Integrating a star into a mass-produced drinking glass proved considerably harder than drawing one.
According to npk, glass manufacturers initially considered the proposed shape impossible to produce at scale. The studio had to use its experience in mold engineering to find a manufacturing solution that preserved the idea.
The designers also created highly realistic plexiglass models and tested them for grip, stability, pouring and drinking comfort before settling on the final form.
Heineken says the completed glass was developed to improve more than appearance. Its height and shape are intended to support aroma, presentation and head retention, while the sculpted body gives customers and bar staff a comfortable grip.
The glass was also developed in separate versions for Heineken Original and Heineken 0.0.
The Glass Began Its Journey In Ireland
StarMark is attracting fresh attention, but it did not make its first appearance this week.
Heineken introduced the glass in Irish pubs in April 2025, nine years after its previous major glassware redesign.
Its “Reach for the Star” launch campaign placed giant versions of the Heineken star in locations across Ireland with “glass” in their names, including Glasson, Terryglass, Baltinglass and Glasnevin.
People who photographed one of the installations could show the image at participating bars and receive one of the first pints served in the new glass.
The rollout then expanded into Northern Ireland, where more than 5,000 glasses were distributed during its first phase.
According to npk, StarMark is now becoming Heineken’s standard glass across its global markets, except the Netherlands, where a separate design is being developed.
The project has also received industry recognition. At the 2026 FAB Awards, the StarMark glass won Best in Show alongside Gold awards for packaging design and collateral and point-of-sale work.
When A Brand Asset Becomes Media
Bars are already crowded with branding. There are branded taps, refrigerators, coasters, umbrellas, menus, signs and bar mats all competing for attention.
StarMark does something more interesting. It does not introduce another advertising surface. It turns an unavoidable consequence of drinking a cold beer into a brand interaction.
The condensation was already there. The lifting gesture was already there. The table was already there. Heineken simply redesigned the glass so those three things would produce its star.
That makes the idea feel less like advertising and more like discovery. Someone lifts the glass, notices the outline and points it out to the person sitting next to them. The product creates the reveal.
The Strongest Brand Assets Can Survive Translation
The star has appeared in Heineken’s identity since the 1880s. What StarMark demonstrates is how far a genuinely distinctive asset can travel.
On the bottle, the star is red and printed. Inside the new glass, it becomes transparent and structural. On the table, it becomes a temporary outline made from water.
The color, material and scale can all change, yet the symbol remains recognizable.
That is the difference between a logo and a brand asset. A logo identifies the company when it appears in its expected form. A strong brand asset can be translated into new materials, functions and behaviors without losing its meaning.
Heineken did not need to invent another symbol. It gave an existing one a new job.
The star shapes the glass. It helps define how the object feels in the hand. It creates a small moment of surprise and continues communicating after the drink has been lifted.
The best packaging does not merely carry the brand. Sometimes, it teaches the product how to perform it.
